Factors That Can Hinder Your TV Reception
If you’re looking for solutions to get the best TV receiption, we’ve included them below to help you out.
18/03/2020
Dealing with poor TV reception can be painful and frustrating, especially when you don’t know the cause. You’ve done everything you possibly can to address the issue, and you’re still suffering from a poor signal. Don’t worry, you won’t need to throw your TV and antenna out, there are many solutions for solving the problem of a hindered reception.
If you’re looking for those solutions, we’ve included them below to help you out.
Local foliage
One common factor that many people don’t think about in regards to the impact on TV reception is any tall trees near the antenna. If there are any large trees immediately next to where your home is, they might be blocking over the air signals from reaching the TV. If there’s a cluster of larger trees they may be blocking certain broadcast signals from reaching you but not others. Unless you’re particularly set on your antenna location you won’t need to do any lumberjack work, this is a pretty easy fix. Try moving your TV antenna to other locations in the home and see if this has an impact on your signal.
Location
If you’re living below sea level, or you live in an area with any large natural structures like mountains, this can greatly impact broadcast quality to your home. It’s not always apparent if this is the case, but professionals mention and explain some online resources that can provide more local information. These resources can provide information on the channels that you should be receiving, and if the location is the cause of your reception problems. In these cases, it’s probably best that you invest in an outdoor antenna to get the best possible reception, it can be difficult to combat natural structures that inhibit broadcasting signals otherwise.
Weather
While this might seem like a no-brainer, the weather can hinder your TV reception. There’s no real easy way to combat this if you’re receiving over the air signals, aside from waiting for the weather out. Radio waves are essentially elongated light waves, and just like the light they will reflect off of moisture and make it more difficult to pick up a signal.
If you live in an area where it snows and you have an outside antenna make sure you’re dusting it off regularly. Having a large build-up of snow or other natural obstructions like leaves can inhibit your TV reception greatly, or make it nonexistent. Because of this, you should put your outside antenna in an easily accessible area to increase the ease with which you can clean it off.
Building Construction
Have you ever been in that one building where you just can’t seem to find any cell service? Sometimes the building that we’re in can impede the ability of signals to penetrate through. This is especially true of buildings that are composed of concrete or have rebar, so if you have an inside antenna in a building that fits these criteria it’s no wonder you’d be experiencing problems. Switching over to an outdoor antenna is a quick fix for this problem. A metal roof can also reflect broadcasting signals, so keep your antenna away from the attic or the top floor, or just switch to an outdoor antenna entirely.
Multiple TV’s For OTA Signals
If you have multiple televisions in your home that are receiving over the air signals, and you’re using a splitter this can reduce the quality of your reception. The signal will become reduced whenever it is split, and if your reception is already suffering this will exacerbate the problem. The solution to this conundrum would be to use a pre-amplifier, or distribution amplifier, which can create a stronger signal. Even if you’re in an area with poor reception you likely won’t have any issues after this installation. This is because these devices will amplify the signal for you, which is necessary if it’s being split into these areas.
After going through this checklist you likely wonèt continue to suffer any hindrance to the reception you receive on your TV. If you still do, but you haven’t switched over to an outdoor antenna, or purchased any amplifiers it might be time to do so. They’re relatively easy installations, and while they’re an annoyance, they’re going to circumvent far more frustration down the road. Be sure to check and see if your area suffers from reduced reception quality if these solutions aren’t working for you. After you’ve made a few adjustments, you’ll be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy watching your TV without any reception problems.